Sixteen years ago Erel set the tone for Israeli venture capital investing by creating a new model that combined a hands-on management approach with international market creation strategies. Under Erel’s leadership JVP helped build numerous technology companies that are today global enterprises with traction in Israel, United States, Europe and Asia.

In addition to helping to orchestrate the $4.82 billion sale of Chromatis to Lucent Technologies in 2000, Erel successfully led fifteen exits with such companies as Netro, Precise, Scorpio, Fundtech, ViryaNet, Jacada, Paradigm Geophysical, MagniFire, Native Networks, Cogent and Allot Communications. He was the first Israeli to appear on Forbes’ Midas List.

Currently, Erel focuses on media technologies, combining projects in the fields of animation and gaming that bring together engineers and artists into a new mode of thinking.

In 2002, Erel founded JVP Community, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a better Jerusalem through The Lab, a center of performing arts aimed at encouraging creative activity in Jerusalem and The Community Empowerment Program, a holistic approach to narrowing educational and social gaps in four of Jerusalem’s underprivileged neighborhoods. Erel sits on the Board of Trustees of The Hebrew University, chairs the Technion’s Jerusalem Scholarship Committee, and is a major supporter of the Israel Museum. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University.

Erel is married to the artist, Debbie Margalit, and they have three daughters.